JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A billionaire who considered a plan to resurrect incendiary comments by President Barack Obama's former pastor shelved the idea Thursday after Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney denounced the tactic that would have drawn the issue of race into the presidential campaign.

The family of TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts will sell 34 million shares in the online brokerage back to the company in a deal valued at almost $403 million to help finance the family's bid to buy the Chicago Cubs.